"The Analects of Confucius·Zihan Ninth" 23: Those who are "obedient but not obedient" who are difficult to become a saint

"The Analects of Confucius·Zihan Ninth" 23: It is difficult for a saint to be "obedient but not obedient"

Confucius said: "Can the words of French be ignored? Change it to noble . How can it be said without saying anything? If you don’t interpret it and don’t change it, that’s the end of it.”

Confucius has always been against “talking”. In "The Analects of Confucius: The First in Learning", he said that "skillful words make people look beautiful, and benevolence is fresh" and "be sensitive to things but cautious in words". In "The Analects of Confucius·Wei Zheng Second", it is said that "if you hear too much, you will have doubts, and if you speak carefully about the rest, you will be few and far between". In "The Analects of Confucius Li Ren No. 4", it is said that "the ancients could not speak out their words, and they could not catch their shame", and it was said that "a gentleman wants to be restrained in his words but quick in his actions".

Talk less and do more, and keep your word is the principle of action for the elderly.

"The Analects of Confucius·Zihan Ninth" mainly records the words and deeds of Confucius, focusing on Confucius's style of behavior, which reflects what he advocates and opposes.

Confucius, who acted according to the principle of "talk less and do more, and keep your word", what stance would he take on listening to others?

1. French language, thus changing it

What is "French language"?

It is a warning that is in line with the law. In terms of the background of Confucius' time, it is a warning that is in line with etiquette and law.

When someone gives us legal advice, all of us obey. The reason why others give warnings is precisely because our specific actions as individuals violate the rules of the group. The specific details of an individual's behavior are difficult to compete with the rules of the group. In the face of strong pressure from public opinion, the human tendency to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages automatically kicks in, and everyone will easily show "obedience".

In fact, this is also the fundamental reason why many leaders are able to speak righteously and plausibly when speaking on stage, but in private they are contradictory and duplicitous. No one is willing to openly confront justice and axioms that are in line with the law. Because of this, Confucius believed that when faced with "French words" - it is valuable to change them.

Superficial "obedience" is meaningless. This is what it means in the "Disciple Rules" that "the power of the people is submissive, but the heart is not". In the face of powerful justice and righteousness, everyone will naturally show "obedience", precisely because the heart may not be as it appears on the outside. , only then will there be contradictions between Yin and Yang, and only then will there be duplicity.

However, for "French words", there is no specific action of "changing them" and only the expression of "following them" has no substantial meaning, and it is difficult to achieve true improvement in moral cultivation. .

2. Sunda and his words

What is "Xun and his words"?

"Xun" represents wind in the Eight Diagrams, and "Xun Yuyan" refers to words of respect and praise.

Everyone will instinctively feel happy when they hear other people's words of respect and praise for themselves. The word "shuo" in "Neng Wushuohu" refers to "yue", which means "no one will feel happy after hearing respectful and complimentary words". Not only humans, but also ghosts and gods. There is a joke: There is a flatterer in the world who has reached the end of his life and is taken to the underworld by Black and White. The King of Hell wants to torture him because he flatters him in this world. The flatterer said: "The reason why I flatter people in this world is really because the world is full of mediocre people. If everyone in this world is as smart as a king and cannot be bullied, what's the use of flattering me anymore?"

It is said that after hearing the flatterer's "Xun Yu's words", the King of Hell laughed and spared his physical punishment.

I think the King of Hell has never read "The Analects of Confucius". Confucius made it very clear, "When Sunda speaks to him, he can say nothing." The key is to break through one's own instincts and further "interpret what is said" "It's expensive."

What does "extracting it as valuable" mean?

"Yi" means "Xunyi". After listening to "Xun Yu's words", the important thing is to be able to understand why the other party does not speak well, but uses "respectful and complimentary" words to "fool" oneself. Find out the "micro-words" behind the sugar-coated layer of "Xun Yu's words".

This is what the folk saying goes, "To listen to what is said, you must listen to the sound." You must go through the fog of "Xun and his words" to hear the hidden meaning and the hidden meaning.

What if not?

The gentleman made it very clear: If it complies with the principles of etiquette and law, can we not obey it? But it is valuable only if we follow it to speak out and act righteously and make changes. Can you be unhappy after hearing words of humility and praise? But it is valuable only to hear the hidden meaning after analysis and identification. They only care about being happy without analyzing, and they obey superficially without correcting them. For such people, the saint "I" has no good way to make them improve.